“There are times in life when the question of knowing if one can think differently than one thinks, and perceive differently than one sees, is absolutely necessary if one is to go on looking and reflecting at all.”
Michael Foucault
This quote spoke to me automatically when I read it. For me it means that in order to change our outlook on anything whether it is literacy, life, or people we must choose to step out of our comfort zone. We can all decide to stay with the same thinking and views or we can choose to see another perspective and as we do this then will we truly be able to become reflective thinkers.
I felt that this quote sums up how I have felt during this course. I came into this class thinking that I would not be able to complete these critiques and read all these articles. As I sat down to read the first article I looked at it as a task that I didn’t want to do, which automatically put me in mind of my students. I could feel what they felt when I presented them with something that wasn’t exactly their first choice for an assignment. As that thought entered into my head I made a conscious decision to put all my effort into reading the assigned material and writing good critiques. I must say it helped me to become more reflective as a reader. I found that I felt accountable for what I was reading which made me read carefully and actually process it. My mind was focused on the task at hand.
As I read the articles during this class there were times when I did get confused. However, there were several that spoke volumes to me and made me reflect upon my own teachings and ways of thinking. While reading Dowdy’s “Ovuh Dyuh” and Delpit’s “No Kinda Sense” I began to reflect upon my own way of speaking and my corrections of my students’ way of speaking. I remember specifically the code switching mentioned in Delpit’s article. I started to think about how I have done this several times without even thinking about it. I have often changed the way I speak in front of my college friends trying to sound less “country” and then when I would come home I would get the deepest southern drawl ever. It was a powerful moment for me, because I learned that even I felt the need to change the person that I am in order to please others.
These two articles also made me think of how I correct my students in class. I have often wondered if I was doing the right thing by correcting them when they speak. I am aware that “ain’t” and “ya’ll” aren’t acceptable for some people, but this is the language they have been brought up speaking. So, my thinking began to change after reading these articles. I now feel that my students are who they are and I shouldn’t try to stifle it so much. I want them to speak correctly when giving a speech or writing a formal paper, but why am I going to correct them when they are talking to one another just having a friendly conversation.
I also started to reflect upon how I can change the way my struggling or less motivated students feel about literacy. I think the two articles that started this thinking process were “Speaking up’ and ‘speaking out” and “Hustle and Flow”. I liked how each person tried new methods to get these students engaged in literacy. As an educator we have to continuously embrace some type of change and often some of our students get left oblivious to what is going on. I find that it is hard to tap into something that will work for the disengaged students, but we have to try any and everything until something clicks. These articles refreshed that idea for me. I have to remember that I am there for the students and no matter what I have to try I am going to reach as many of them as I can. I have to tap into their interests and work tirelessly to get results.
I think Reading Lives also helped me see a new perspective on literacy as well. I have never thought about how class affects my students. As I read about Laurie and Jake I began to see how this too can change a child’s learning process. Being from a working class family myself I could relate to these students. I never struggled in school, but I had the same family values. The school I teach at is mainly working class families. I can see how some of these students want to be able to relate to what they know. They are used to working on the farm, watching NASCAR races, or helping with household chores. They want to be able to talk, write and read about the things that they are used to in every day life. I have to remember this as I start a new school year. These students have interest outside of these four walls. How can I get to know them and use that to change their learning experience?
This class has definitely opened up a whole new way of thinking for me. There were several things I had never thought of before that I can take back into my classroom and become a better teacher. I want to be able to use ideas from these articles and the thoughts of my classmates to help change the way my students look at literacy. It may be a bumpy rode, but at least I am willing to see that I need to change and hopefully so will my students.
Odessa Scales